Korea to launch regular K-content festival in June

South Korea plans to host a regular event showcasing its cultural products such as K-pop and foods in June of next year with the goal of making the festival a landmark event.

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism is set to hold the event dubbed Beyond K Festa for three to four days in June 2025 not only as a K-pop concert but also as a fair for various content including food, fashion, beauty and traditional culture. The ministry is considering making the festival an annual or biennial event.

“We aim to create a landmark K-content event, which can remind the world of Korea every June,” said a government official.

The country holds various K-content events to expand cultural products but they are fragmented, critics said.

The government has hosted the Asia Song Festival since 2004 but the annual event focuses too much on the region’s pop music to broaden K-content, they said, citing one example.

TO LINK WITH BUSINESS

The Ministry of Strategy of Finance set aside 8 billion won ($6 million) for Beyond K Fest in the country’s budget proposal for 2025.

The cultural ministry will begin the first steps for the event such as artist casting once lawmakers approve the spending plan.

The ministry is likely to hold the event at the KSPO Dome, an indoor arena in Seoul used for concerts of famous K-pop stars such as Ive, as the first festival is scheduled for the summer.

The country is also considering opening a place for related business purposes such as talks for exports and corporate networking at the nearby SK Olympic Handball Stadium.

Write to Kwang-Sik Lee and Seung-Mok Yoo at bumeran@hankyung.com
 
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.